Process of fabricating unwoven sheet material and article therefor



Patented Se t. 23,1930

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE eonrnnr moon, or raw YORK, 'N. Y.

' PROCESS OF FA IBRICA 'IING UNWOVEN SHEET MATERIAL AN D ARTICLE THEREFOR No Drawing.

This invention relates to the manufacture of textiles and more particularly to an im' proved flat cloth. Hitherto, in the manufacture of fiat cloths, such as sheetings, shirtings, dress goods, print cloths, underwear cloths, suitings, draperies, and the like, it has been necessary to weave the materials on looms at great expense both in equipment and labor. The enormous outlay required .10 for weaving equipment militat'es against the economical preparation of fabrics.

In an efl'ort to avoid the necessity of weaving operations generally, the process of feltuse in wearing apparel of various kinds, and

in various industrial processes requiring cloth fabrics asbases, as in the manufacture of oil cloth, rubberized sheeting, and the like,

e t is an object of this invention to provide 'an improved cloth sheeting of unwoven fibres. 4. It is a further object of this invention to rovide an unwoven water-proof flat cloth abric.

Yet another object of this invention. is the production of an unwovenflat cloth which ma be readily dyed. I

l further object of this invention is the 40/ production of such an unwoven fiat cloth which has both Wet-strength and is adapted to be dyed or to absorb some moisture.

With these and other desirable objects in view, which may be incident to the improvements, the invention consists in the parts and combinations to be hereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that the several necessary elements comprising. the in- .vention may be varied in composition, proportions and arrangement, without depart- Application an April 25,

with, a suitable binding material;

1928. Serial No. 272,552.

ing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

In the practice of the present invention, suitable fibres, such as cotton wool, silk or rayon wastes, jute, or other fibres, are first cleaned by the machinery commonly employed for such purposes, namely, pickers and cards, except where wood fibres are used or admixed the machinery will dififer accordingly.

The resulting cleaned fibres are thenv arranged by such machinery in the form of alap of any suitable thickness, accordin tov the Weight of the desired cloth, the d1sso-' ciated fibres being so arranged as to assure the necessary tensile strength, after which the-so-formed lap is subjected to, or treated A preferred embodiment of the present invention for the preparation of an unwoven cloth having considerable wet-strength and capable of being dyed, will be describedi The binding material used is a composition comprisin a suitable rubier emulsion, such as latex, and a cellulosic compound. Excellent results *have'been obtained with cellulose xanthate, .or viscose, although other cellulose substantially equal parts of compounds, such as cellulose acetate, and the I like, are likewisesuitable. The binding material may be compounded in any'desired mate mixture or blend of the components.

of fibresby spraying or in any other suitable manner, after which the coated or impreg nated lap is passed through a plurality'of compression'rolls of any conventional design. Such mechanisms being well known in the art, and forming no part of the present invention, are therefore not described.

By the treatment of the lap in the rolls, the binding material is thoroughly inco orated in, and. mixed with the fibres, where y they are closely associated in a cooperative manner so as to form a relatively thin sheet of material. This sheet of material is then passed through dryingor calendering rolls to reconvert the plastic cellulose into cellulose, and vulcanize. the rubber, which usually has a manner, care being taken to secure an intivulcanizing agent incorporated in the emul- Y v a vulcamzing agent has been previously 1nsion used.

The resulting composite sheet is thus characterized by the presence of a lap of fibres which are held b a binding medium of comosite rubber an pure, regenerated cellulose.

his product has considerable wet-strength due to the presence of the rubber, while .the cellulose constituent, imparts the deslred dyereceiving ability. y

In place vof regenerating the cellulose by heatin the sheetedmatenal may be assed throng a suitable solution of acid or t e like which is adapted to regenerate a pure cellu lose by decomposing the cellulose compound.

The resulting sheetlng is then washed, dried,

and suitably calendered, or otherwise reduced to a desired thickness. Such a product is characterized by arelatively high tensile strength and is suited for a variety of purposes.

Where a substantially waterproof fabric is desired, as 'in-the preparation of cloths for rain-coats,- bed sheets, dress shields, waterroof aprons and other like articles, the celluose constituent of the binding material may be re laced in whole or in part by' rubber, or the a ve de ribed sheet material may be given a coat rubber, as is the usual practice, or both. 1 1

If cellulose alone is used as a binding agent, viscose orany bther suitable cellulose, ester is inco orated into the lap 'of'fibres, as above described, and the resultln Jmaterial pressed and sheeted, the cellulose eing regenerated by heat or otherwise, as above described.

The product resulting from this treatment is characterized by 'a'relatively high tensile strength and-is, suited for a variety ;of purposes for which'woven fabrics are normally used, particularly. for'uses where stifiness and lacko'f'resistance'to moi'stureare not disadfizintageous, as in artificial mohair and the p v g, The sheeted material or flat cloth, as itmay be called, is ada ted to receive any suitable dye, such: dyes ing applied in the wellknown. manner and they may also be incor 0- rated in the binding material, therebyobviating the necessity 'of an added, separate dyeing 1 applyingrubbertothe dissociated mass ofvsheete fibres, above described, it is referredto' use an aqueous emulsion of ru 'ber of the type known as latex,'which is a naturally occurring'emulsion derived from the sapof rubber-bearing plants generally.

This emulsion, in suitable concentration is applied to the fibres in the manner desi nated above, and the resulting material su jected to the usual rolling pressure for the pur ose of eliminatin excess material.

e resulting canizing operations to cure the rubber or the fabr c may then be dried, after which it is subjected to the usual -vuldrying may besuflicient to cure the rubber if V purpose, or other cellulose softening reagents maybe applied to gel the fibres and cause them to amalgamate. .If silk, jute, wool, or other fibres are used, the softening agent will be chosen with respect to its solvent action on 1 the articular-fibre used.

I it is desired to impart increased flexibility to the cloth, there is added to or admixed withthe'binding material a suitable plasticizer, such as those used in the lacquer industry, viz.,' various oils, soluble waxes,

gums and resins, which impart greater pliability to the cloth and resistance to water.

The mixture of latex and viscose, before 1 referred to, may have plasticizers, dyes and vulcanizing agents incorporated therein, and

will be found practicable in treating cotton and other fibres to obtain many common cloths.

This product is endowed with a tensile strength comparable to that of woven fabrics, and is pleasing in appearance as well as being cheap to manufacture. This process thus permits the use of a relatively unusable material; to wit, waste or short fibres of any sort, as well as permitting theuse of fibres generally without the intermediacy of the customary weaving operations now uniformly in use. Y

A further advantage resides in the fact that by the use of this process the fibres are associated in an improved mannerto form a fabric, in contradistinction to the/processes hitherto available for the use offibres which resulted solely in the formation of relatively thick felted materials. Such felted materials are obviously unsuited for use in cloth'making or as fiat cloths,and the processes of the present invention, while 'bearlng a superficial resemblance to felting production generally are distinguished therefrom by the absence of the mechanical battingor felting steps and by the improved. product resulting there- 1 from. The cloths produced by this method can be usedimmediately, that is, without further treatment, as base cloths in the manufacture of oil cloth, rubberized cloths, plementing' thetreatment at the time of making the'cloth or thereafter with'linseed oil,

varnish, cellulose esters or additional rubber.

etc.,- as may be required; In this event'it may not be necessary to dry the sheet before subjecting it to further treatment. 1

As above noted, it will be found that by usin latex as the principal binding materia a satisfactory waterproof or water the manner previously the fibres.

To impart added strength to the cloth or cloths comprehended in this invention,

threads may e distributed warp-wise, fillingwise, or in both directions as pliable rein forcements. 4

In making raincoating, for instance, where a base cloth is used, the present method is distinguished from waterproofing in that a lap of fibres is applied to the base cloth as in' pregnated with rubber to form a unitary cohesive cloth, rather than applying rubber itself to a base cloth.

This process enables the use of a'cheaper base cloth and a notable saving in the amount of rubber required to waterproof the fabric..

Where the preparation of a waterproof material in considerable quantity is desired the present invention comprehends theuse of ordinary paper making equipment for such purposes, and in this event fibres are treated with latex or the like in a beating engine while subjected to the action known in the paper making trade as brushing.

This brushing as its name implies, is adapted to straighten out or brush the fibres v without subjecting them to the disintegrattill ing action of the knives on the bed plate of the beating engine.

Such an operation is comprehended in the skill of the average paper maker and needs no further description.

The latex or other rubber emulsion is thoroughly incorporated with the fibres and, as is well known, the microscopic particles of rubber tend to deposit on the fibres. The resultant pulp is then passed on to a stuff-chestor other suitable storage, and from there flowed on to the wet end of the paper machine, the wire screen or Fourdrinier being usually employed.

These screens may be obtained in any desired mesh and are suited forimparting a desired texture to the fabric of this invention.

In place of a Fourdrinier wire, a blanket or sheet of coarse or fine fabric may be substituted and the pulp flowed directly thereon, after which it is subjected to the usual dewatering and drying operations. a

This method of operation lends itself readily to the preparation of an improved base for oil cloths, linoleums and like material, the cost of the process being very low Where the-desired quantity of material produced is relativelylarge. I

It will now be seen that there has been provided an improved process for the preparation of flat cloths which process is characterized by the absence of the ordinary weaving operations and the securingof a fabric which is comparable in its physcial disclosed, then imheretofore'obtainable.

.Where it is desirable to impart a certain texture to the cloth fabric the pressure rolls may be suitably configure or wire screens of a desired mesh maybe used. For example, it will be found that by pressing the yet moist material against a IOU-mesh wire screen or a roll havin a similar face, that a cloth will be given a finish of a type commonly designated in the textile trades as moleskin. A twilled screen or similar roll will impart a face like a arbardine or drill. j

are the cloth is to be perforated this result is readily obtained by varying the number and shape of the complete perforations by meansof the impressed surface to assure v the desired porosity and pliabilitysin the finished fabric.

The strengthjand resulting pliability of the cloth is determined to some extent by the manmi in which the binder is allowed to set, i. e. whether .as a continuous film, or more as a coatin for the individualfibres. The structure o the cloth is further fixed by the shape to or shapes impressed, and the pressure or sucof the unspun and unwove'n fibres is treated: or,

with a coating comprising linseedoil, varnish and pigment.

While the foregoing description has set forth one process for the manufacture of a fiat cloth, aving as constituents one water Mm proof binding medium and one water absorbent binding medium, such description is by way of example only. The same principles can be applied with other water proof and water a proof) resins, natural or synthethic; casein,

in water proof form; cellulose acetate; glue (gelatine) made water proof as with formaldehyde; and '(non-water proof glue (gelatine); casein in non-water proo form; n starches, natural or synthethic; and soluble gum.

1. In the preparation of fiat cloth the process whichcomprises lapping fibres, treating 115 the lap of fibres with a binding medium comprising a mixture of cellulosic material and rubber emulsion, subjecting the resulting product to pressure whereby to produce a uniform sheet, and curing said sheet.

2. In the preparation of flat cloth, the process which comprises lapping fibres, treating the lap offibres with a binding medium comprising a mixture of cellulosic material and rubber emulsion, together with a plasr25 'ticizing agent, subjecting the resulting prodsorbent media; such as: (water loose dissociated fibres to the action of a binding medium comprising a mixture of cellulosic material and rubber emulsion, sub- 4. In the preparation of fiat cloth, the 'process which comprises subjecting a .massof loose dissociated fibres to'the action of a binding medium com rising a mixture of. cellulosic material an rubber emulsion, togather-with aplasticizing agent, subjecting the resulting product to pressure whereby to produce a uniform sheet, and curing said s eet.

5. A flat cloth composed of dissociated v cloth composed of. unspun and unwoven fibres held together by a binding medium, and havfibres which have been treated with a self yulcanizin rubber emulsion and formed to .emulsion, the whole being a desired t ickness. y

6. In the preparation of a flat cloth, the process which comprises subjecting a mass of loosedissociated fibres to the abtion of a solvent for the fibres whereby tosupe'rficially.

dissolve the fibres, formin .a sheet of the fibrous material y suitable means, to form an integral sheet of fibres in genously derived binding medium. 4

7. In the preparation of a flat cloth, the process which comprises subjecting a mass of loose dissociated cotton fibres, to the-action of cuprammonium, whereby to superficially dissolve the fibres, forming a sheet of the desired thicknessilr'egenerat ng the dissolved h r by an auto:

desired thickness regeneratmg the dissolved fibrous material y suitable means, wherebyto form an integral sheet of fibres'in an autogenously derived binding medium.

8. As an article of manufacture, a flat cloth composed of unspun and unwoven fibres, held together by a'binding material composed of a plastic cellulosic substance and a rubber sheeted and the binding agent caused to set.

9. As an article of manufacture, a flexible sheet composed of unspun and unwoven fibres, held together by a bindin material comprising a plastic celluiosic su stance, a rubber emulsion and plasticlzing agent, the.

whole being sheeted and the binding agent caused to set.

10. As an article of manufacture a flat cloth' composed of dissociated fibres and binding material, the said cloth being characterized by a combined moisture receptivity and wet-strength.

11. In the preparation of flat cloth, the process which comprises lapping fibrous ma-' terials, treating the lap of fibres with a binding material, one of whose constituents-absorbs moisture, and one of which resists moisture, whereby to impart a combined moisture receptivity and wet-strength tovthe cloth.

12. As an article of manufacture, a sheet,

of unspun and unwoven fibres held together dissolve the fibres,

forming a sheet of awe-5'45 cloth-composed of unspun and unwoven fibres held together by a bindin medium, andhavmg mpressed upon it t e face 'pattern of woven cloth. 9 j

16. As an article of'manufacture a flat 111g impressed intoit a structure that will impartto the fiatcloth the characteristics of woven cloth.

I 17. As an article of manufacture, a-flat clothf composed'ofunspun and unwoven fibres held together bya water resistant binding med um, Ia ndhaving impressed into it a v.-s'tr ucture that :willex ose .a

ortion of the fibres to the surface -t us ma 'ng the cloth water absorbent without impairing its wet '7 strength.

an article of manufacture, a. flat .cloth composed of uns un and unwoven fibres inding medium, and

held together by. a having lmpressedjnto it a attern of structure that will impart to the 0 0th the mechanical characteristics of woven cloth.

19.: In the preparation of a flat cloth, the

of loose dissociated fibres to the action of a solvent for the fibres whereby to superficially binder as an additional bindin medium,

I the desired th ckness, regenerating the dissolved fibrous material by suitable means, whereby to form an integral sheet of'fibres in a partially autogeneously derived binding medium.

' .20. A flat cloth composed of unspun and unwoven fibrous material held together by a binding mediuin, absorbs moisture and one of which resists moisture, whereby to impart a combined nlioiislture receptivity and wet strength to the 0 0t 21. As an article of manufacture, a flat cloth of unspun and unwoven fibres held together b rubber. y

22. As an article of manufacture an oil cloth formed of unspun andv unwoven fibres held together by a, binding medium and coated with a mixture oflinseed oil, lacquer and pigment.

In-testimony whereof I aflix my si ature.

I Y GODFREY B CH.

a binding medium, and coated with adding a water resistant process which comprises subjecting a mass one of whose constituents 

